83%

17%

Eskom gets R4bn loan from KfW to upgrade grid

The loan will be used to connect solar and wind power plants to Eskom's power network and help to secure supply in a country that has been beset with almost daily power outages, KfW said.

"The adjustment of the energy supply is a big step for South Africa away from dependency on coal towards a more sustainable electricity generation," Norbert Kloppenburg, a management board member at KfW, said in a statement.

Eskom has implemented rolling blackouts over the past year, disrupting business and annoying residents, as its grid struggles to meet growing demand.

Integrating more renewable sources of energy into the grid will also help reduce South Africa's CO2 emissions by up to 5.5-million tonnes a year, KfW said.

Global Stats

The amount of Chinese homes powered by wind energy (total capacity 114,609 MW) at the end of 2014 (source: The Economist, 1 August 2015)

8

The largest wind turbine in the world is the Vestas 8 MW turbine with a rotor diameter of 164 meters

51.5

The record number of GW of wind power installed in 2014, bringing the total installed global capacity to more than 369.6 GW at the end of 2014.

8,000

The number of parts a wind turbine has

5,500

The number of average EU households that one 6 MW offshore turbine can power.

601,500

The number of people employed worldwide by the wind industry in 2013

2,000

The amount of water in litres that wind power can save per MWh against other energy sources (source: US Department of Energy).

608

In 2014, wind power avoided over 608 million tonnes of CO2 emissions globally.

11%

In total, 11% of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind last year - up from 9.5% in 2014. Wind provided enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 8.25 million homes (more than 30% of UK households) - up from 6.7 million homes last year.

268,000

The number of wind turbines spinning around the world at the end of 2014.

3

It takes a wind turbine 3-6 months to recoup the energy that goes into producing, operating and recycling the wind turbine after its 20 to 25 year lifetime.

3%

The percentage of global electricity supplied by wind power.

387

The amount of million cubic meters of water use avoided by wind energy in the EU, equivalent to the average annual household water use of nearly 7 million EU citizens (source: EWEA).

2,171,804

The amount of people employed by the wind power sector in 2030 worldwide according to GWEO 2014 advanced scenario.

SA Stats

ZAR 91.1 billion

The amount already committed to various development initiatives under the REIPPPP according to the Department of Energy

28%

of the total funds committed to wind energy comes from foreign investment – R53.2bn. This equals 85.8% of total direct foreign investment in South Africa last year.

92

projects that have already been selected as part of the REIPPPP, attracting

40%

The amount that wind energy is now cheaper than forecast prices for Eskom’s new-build coal plants.

ZAR 101 billion

The total projected value of goods and services to be procured from broad-based black economic empowerment suppliers.

ZAR 1.8 billion

The amount CSIR reports wind energy produced in net savings during the first half of 2015. Wind was also cash positive for Eskom by R300 million.

400

There are now more than 400 wind turbines creating electricity throughout South Africa

640 days

Average time for the 10 wind projects to reach commercial operation so far in South Africa (1.8years).

20,500%

The number that investment in renewables grew in one year between 2011 and 2012 – the first year of the REIPPPP

ZAR 193 billion

the amount that has been committed to wind energy through private sector investment